Creating a personalized T-shirt is more than just a creative outlet—it’s a chance to make a statement, celebrate an occasion, or even grow your brand.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ari Simpson, a 39-year-old entrepreneur from South Carolina, about her T-shirt side hustle. It has been edited for length and clarity.

And since they’re not that difficult to create, you can also design your own T-shirt and give it a personalized touch. Whether you’re a horror genre lover or a rock music fan, horror-designed ...

For a free option, consider: GIMP Canva Krita Some T-shirt ... already own Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, or ...

Create custom and unique t-shirts with your Cricut machine. With this tool, you can easily design and cut your own graphics ...

Wax crayons Sandpaper (fine works best) A T-shirt An iron (and an adult to help with the iron) A piece of baking paper (to protect the iron) ...